Amritraj bewildered with doping in tennis

From memorable Grand Slam matches to the travails of the men’s tour - Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj...

From memorable Grand Slam matches to the travails of the men’s tour – Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj has seen it all. Yet, even he admits to being bewildered with the current doping and gambling allegations that threaten to besmirch tennis’ squeaky clean image.

“I just don’t understand it. Tennis is played all the year round, and only if one has consistency can a reasonable amount of success be gained. It’s not just one event that has to be played, it’s a whole lot more. You can’t take dope and do well for a few days; that isn’t going to help players at all. It amazes me how this has come about, and it’s certainly hard to believe — tennis players don’t need to take dope. I have never seen anything like it,” said Amritraj, speaking to The Indian Express. “I find the whole betting issue absurd as well.”

Times have certainly changed, and Amritraj admits it is the men’s singles that is the most worrying factor for the country’s future. “We need top 100 players now, it’s been too long. To be a success on tour, one needs to get the whole package right. You need proper guidance, you need to figure out the right combination and number of tournaments which will help your rankings. Training methods have completely changed now, that is another aspect,” he said.

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Sania Mirza’s season ended early this year, highlighting the importance of Amritraj’s words, “A scientific approach is needed when it comes to planning a professional career, you need to protect your body.”

The idea of a separate tour for Asians, as mooted by the country’s tennis association, draws a blank in Amritraj’s eyes. “You will not get ATP points, so how is it going to help? Those are critical. Apart from the fact that us Asians will not be playing better opposition, that is another reason it may not be the best. However, the All India Tennis Association’s decision to introduce more Challengers and Futures in the country is a positive one,” he said.

The former player, who achieved his highest world ranking of 16 in 1980, is currently involved with a junior tennis initiative with Havas Sports, who are organising a series of tournaments in the country, one of which is currently being held in the Capital, “We shouldn’t consider just the Beijing Olympics, we should look 10, maybe 20, years ahead. These days, there are more tournaments, more sponsors, more media coverage, so a lot of kids are enthusiastic about playing. When I was playing, education was a lot more important, now there are children playing fulltime – the opportunities are great. With the correct methods of training, hopefully they can be our new stars.”